Largest Attendance to Date, Legislative Successes, & Many New Projects!

Greetings!

I hope you and your loved ones have enjoyed a wonderful holiday!

As 2011 comes to a close, I would like to thank you for your tremendous support this year. Because of your dedicated time and effort, 2011 has been a busy, but very successful, year in the Louisiana pro-life movement.

Thanks to activists around the state, we've seen record-breaking attendance at multiple events, launched several new projects, and passed some very important pro-life legislation. Please see below for some enjoyable photos and highlights from 2011!

Search Engine Campaign - Advertise for Life's search engine campaign will launch in January. When a woman searches for abortion and/or pregnancy help on search engine websites (e.g. Google, Bing, Yahoo! Search), she will be referred to the ADifficultChoice.com website. This pro-life site directs the woman to abortion alternative resources in her local area. Since the internet has replaced the yellow pages as the most utilized tool to locate resources, this project is vital to ensuring women are aware of the life-saving help available to them.

Bus Shelter Advertisements - Another advertising effort starting in January is a New Orleans area bus shelter advertisement campaign. Shelters around the city will display the ADifficultChoice.com website, hotline number, and texting information.

Louisianans from across the state came out in force for the first ever Louisiana Life March in January--over 3,000 participants!In the spring, LARTL held its first ever Golf FORE Life Tournament, raising enough money to launch the new Advertise for Life program. For the first time ever this fall, three Louisiana locations participated in 40 Days for Life with 15 documented lives saved--and those are the only the ones we know about.

STATE LEGISLATION

We also had several key victories in the Louisiana State Legislature this past session, most important of which was the passage of HB 636, better known as the "Signs of Hope Act." This act requires a "Forced Abortion Prevention Sign" to be posted in every Louisiana abortion facility and required the creation of the Louisiana Woman's Right to Know website. We are very excited to see the fruit from this legislation as it is implemented by the Department of Health and Hospitals!

In January, LARTL's Geaux Forth Youth Rally (pictured left) held prior to the National March for life attracted over 750 high school students. This rally allows students from around the state to network with other pro-life activists their own age and educates through inspirational speakers. At home in Louisiana, 2011 brought record-breaking attendance at Louisiana Camp Joshua and at the Joshua Leadership Institute youth programs. In addition, our leadership to making these youth camps a national effort, North Dakota held its first ever Camp Joshua!

EDUCATION & OUTREACH

This fall, Advertise for Life Louisiana launched a new Louisiana pregnancy help resource website along with a campaign advertising resources available to women in crisis. And just recently, world-renowned pro-life advocate Jason Jones spoke to over 2,500 students in Southeast Louisiana (12 speaking engagements in 5 days!). This has all been accomplished despite our recent move to a new office this fall, our first move since 1986!

Thanks to your support, commitment, and involvement, 2011 certainly has been a year full of life-saving activity. Let us be encouraged by our success but not forget that the battle to preserve the dignity of all human life continues. We look to the new year with renewed determination as we continue to fight for an abortion-free Louisiana.

May you have a safe and blessed New Year!

For a Pro-Life Louisiana,

Benjamin Clapper

Executive Director

Louisiana Right to Life

P.S. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Advertise for Life campaign. 100% of your donation goes to the advertisements, and contributing to this project is one of the best ways to ensure women around the state get the help they need. Please click here to donate.